Transmission or brake band



H. J. FR IEDL TRANSMISSlON OR BRAKE BAND Oct. 4, 1927. 1,643,946

Filed June 11, 1925 Jlflberst, I 1; 5110721491,

Patented Oct. 4, 1927. Q

HUGH J. ERIEDL, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

TRANSMISSION OR BRAKE BAND.

' Application filed June 11, 1925.

My inventirm relates to automobile transmission or brake bands, and more particularly to that type applied to planetary transmission mechanism, such as employed in Ford automobiles.

The invention relates more specifically to that type of transmission or brake band wherein the ends of the band are provided with connectors adapted for co-action with parts of operating mechanism manipulated by foot pedals, and-1n which one of the connectors is removably secured to one of the ends of the band to permit of more read- 11y removing the band from the casing enclosing the transmission mechanism, and also to permit of more readily inserting a band into said casing around a drum forming part of such transmission mechanism.

It is one of the objects of my invention to provide a removable connector at one end of a transmission brake band. which can be quickly and securely fastened to the band, and as readily removed therefrom, and in connection with which-l preferably employ a suitable tool to aid in the ready attachment and convenient removal of the connector from said band.

Another object of my invention is to proride a removable connector at one end of the transmission or brake band, and to so construct the connector and co-operating portion of the band that a. secure fastening of the connector to the band is provided without allowing movement relatively in any direction.

A further objectof my invention is to reinforce the brake band proper at the point of connection of the detachable connector thereto, and to employ as a means of reinforcement a'separatemember having parts stamped therein. removed therefrom, and fashioned thereon for co-operation with said connector to the end that said connector may be quickly and band and be as readily removed therefrom. lvith the above and other objects in view to appear hereinafter, the invention consists in the novel features of construction and in the arrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the subjoined claims. In the drawings 2- v r Fig. 1 is a transverse section through a transmission casing of a Ford automobile,-

showingf of the drums of a'transmission securely fastened to the brake Serial No. 36,373.

mechanism and the shaft therein in dotted lines, and showing an edge view of a transmission or brake band located within said casing and co-acting with pedal-operated spring-retrieved mechanism for applying the brake to the drum and for releasing the same therefrom.

Fig.2 is a plan view of one end of the brake or transmission band equipped with my improved. removable connector and the reinforcement directly associated and c0-act-, I

ing therewith. v

Fig. 2-3' is a-longitudinal section taken on line 3 3, Fig. 2. 1 Fig. aiis an end view of the band showing that end thereof having the detachable con nector applied thereto.

Fig. 5 is a detached the reinforcement applied to one end of said band. I

Fig. 6 is a detached perspective view of the detachable connector. 1

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the tool,

preferably employed for fastening the connector t0 the band and removing said con nector therefrom.

Reference being had to the drawings in detail, the numeral 8 designates the transmission casing of an automobile through which a shaft is passed lengthwise, said shaft being indicated in dotted lines and designated by the numeral 9. t

On the shaft is indicated with dotted lines a drum 10 of which there are invariably 1 three arranged in close juxtaposition, one

serving as a clutch drum,-the second as a combined brake and reverse drum, and the' third as a slow speed drum, but it is quite apparent that these drums may serve in any other manner or for any other purpose. Only one of the drums referred to is shown in the drawing, but it is to be understood that a brake band is used in connection with. each drum and operated by individual foot-- operated mechanism.

The transmission mechanism casing is formed with an upward extension or bonnet 11 open at its upper end and having said perspective View of w ale IOU saidshaft IZinwardly while rotating. This part of the mechanism *is 'not a part of my invention and is used simply to illustrate the mode of operating the brakeor trans mission band, the case miay he, and although suclrme'chanisni is now in common use it may be -otherwise -constructed, if desired.

The brake or transmission band is designated' by-"the numeral 21-and is constructed of comparatively thin springsteel curved into open grin g formation and having the usual 'lini-ng22 riveted'o-r otherwise applied to its inner surface. Applied to one end of this "band is the usual fixed connector 23 fastened-t0 said band in any approved manner, usually by riveting the same thereto. The outer end of this fixed connectorhas an outwardly-directed forked ear or. lug '24, the notch of which opens outwardly.

'Thefbra ke or transmission band'thus far described-is: commonly used-in Ford automobiles, with a second connector at the other end thereof solidly fastened thereto, and in some instances detachable connectors have been-applied directly to the'thin spring steel open ring-at "the other end thereof, but in a manner different from that herein disclosedand forming part of this invention. Atthe last-mentioned end of the hand my improved detachable connector and a reinforcement "associated therewith are arranged; the reinforcement being designated bythe-numisral 2'5 and the detachable connector by the numeral 26. The reinforcement is formed'of a strip of metal somewhat longer than the detachable connector and curved to conform to the curvature of the ban'dfto which it-is riveted, as shown at-27, suitablerivet holes 28 being formed in said reinforcement and similar rivet=holes being provided in the band 21 for the reception of the rivetswhich are suitably headedtherein.

The reinforcement, or reinforcing strip, as it may be termed, isalso provided with two additional holes29, one'near the inner end of'the strip and the otherin close proximity to the outer end thereof, the hole-29 at the inner-end of said strip serving to per mit-a clench or other rivet 30 to be passed there-through andthrough a suitable opening-in the brake or transmission" band at a inner side of the band.

point directly beneath, which last-mentioned rivet may be passed through --the lining 22 for=the purpose of -fastening the same to the The opening 29 at the. outer end of the reinforcing strip is used for a similar purpose and for co-action with a part -of=the=detachable connector, as. and

in the manner to be hereinafter described. Through this lastementioned' opening 29, a second clench or other rivet 31 is passed, which isalso passed through-an opening in the brake or transmission i band and through the lining 22. It willthereforebe apparent that even though the reinforcing strip 25 is permanently fastened to thebnakeban'd, the openings 29 permit of conveniently attachconveniently withdrawing theri-vets 30 and ing the lining 22 to the brake band, and when the hnmg'becomes worn, PGIHIIJESO'IE" 31' for the purpose of :removingthe liningfrom t-he bandto be replaced with a: new lining, which canbe quickly attached by means of -rivets, such as 30,31.

The reinforcing strip 25 isprovided with eai receiving pockets '32 formed by slitting the strip transversely and centrally-through a portion of-its ovidthatspaciedintervals,

and stamping the -metal of the-strip outwardly atone side of each slit so as*to provide a reinforcing strip having external-protuberances 33 open atone end'to forni said pockets, said protuberances forming depressionson the inner side o-f-said reinforcing strip serving as said pockets.

Atthe outer end of said=reinforcing strip, the metal-thereof is cutaway or notc'hed, as at 34, and it is bent along atransverse line inward of said notch so as to form an upstanding flange 35 having saidnoteh or Y cutaway portion 34- therein. The inner wallof said notch or cut-away portion is therefore positioned at a comparatively slight elevation above'the outer surface of the'body portion of said reinforcingstrip, while the parts of said flange at opposite sides of said notclrextend outwardly ito a greater extent. 7 V

The detachable connector 26 comprises an arcuate base portion 36 which lies against the outerside' of the reinforcing strip 25 and has at itsouter end the forked-outwardlyextending ear or-lug37,-the notch 38 of'this earbeingtransversely alined with the notch in theear or' lug 24E of thc'fixed connector When the'detachable connector is secured to the band, in the'manner to be hereinafter described, the shaft 17 is passed throughthe two notches in the ears 24 and 37, respectively, of the two connectors, with a. spring 39 surrounding said shaft and beingiinterposed between said ears, opposite endsof said spring bearing againstthe opposed ears of said connectors and serving to separate the connectors; thereby releasing fiche band 21 fromthedrum. Y I

At its outer end the detachable connector 26 is provided with a transverse bead or extension 40, and the under side of said connector is provided with-a groove 41, which extends inwardly from the edge of this bead or extension. At the inner end of said groove a retainer stud 42 is located. That portion of the head or extension overhanging the groove 41 serves as a catch lip medially disposed between the side edges of said connector, and when the connector is attached to the band, this catch lip lies in a plane outside of Or above the inner wall of the notch 34 formed in the upstanding flange 35 at the outer end of the reinforcing strip 25. The under side of this catch lip, which is also the inner or top wall ofthe groove 41, is therefore spaced fromthe outer surface of the reinforcing strip.

The arcuate base portion 36 of the detachable connector is provided with spaced openings 43, which are preferably rectangu lar in formation, said base portion having a. retainer ear 44'extending inwardly into each of said openings 43 from the inner end wall thereof.

When positioning the detachable connector on the band, the external protuberances in the reinforcing strip extend outwardly through said openings, and the retainer ears 44 are arranged in line with the pockets 32 formed by said protuberances, and when moving said detachable connector outwardly on said reinforcing strip, the retainer lugs or ears 44 enter said pockets. 3

Due to the fact that the curvature of the inner surface of the detachable connector conforms exactly to the outer surface of the reinforcing strip 25, the retainer stud 42 extending inwardly from the outer end of said detachable member rides along the outer surface of the reinforcing strip during the movement required to fully enter the retainer ears 44 into the pockets 32. This creates a flexing action of the band and its retainer strip and necessitates some effort to force the detachable connector into proper position. For convenience in attaching the connector to the band, I have formed a fulcrum opening 45 in the reinforcing strip '25, preferably in close. proximity to one of the protuberances 33 on said strip, and with the fulcrum opening so located, the placing of the detachable member upon the reinforcing strip positions the outer end wall ofone of the rectangular openings 43 directly forward of the fulcrum opening so that a suitable tool fulcrumed or pivotally entered in said fulcrum opening may be swung against said outer end wall, and upon rotation of said tool force the detachable connector outwardly to overcome the resistance offered by the flexing of the band, with the result that the retainer ears or lugs 44 of the openings 43 will be forced into the pockets 32 of the prois brought in'contact'with the upstanding flange 35 at the outer end of thereinforcing strip 25. A convenient tool for fastening the detachable connector to the band and for detaching the same therefrom is illustrated in Fig. 7 it being constructed of a slender rod or bar formed to provide a body portion or shank 47 and an angular portion 48 at one end of said shank or body portion and, as designed, opposite ends of this tool serve as operating ends. The tool, when placing one end into service, has the angular portion 48 serving as a handle, and when placing the other end thereof into service, the shank 47 serves as a handle.

The outer or free end of the angular portion 48 is flattenechas at 49, to provide a thin or feathered end therefor. The other or free end of the body portion or shank 47 is likewise flattened, as at 50, and at one corner of the flattened portion it is prow'ided with a fulcrum or pivot stud 51. I

For the purpose of fastening the detaclr able connector to the band, after positioning the same loosely thereon, the pivot or fulcrum stud 51 on the tool is entered in the fulcrum opening 45 formed in the reinforcing strip and one or the other face of the flattened portion 50 is brought into contact with the outer end wall of one of the rectangular openings 43 formed in the connector, which in Fig. 2 is shown as the outer end wall of the intermediate opening the flattened portion 50 of the tool being in dicated by dotted lines in said figure. With the pivot or fulcrum stud 51 entered in the fulcrum opening 45 of the reinforcing strip, it is simply necessary to rotate said tool so as to force one corner of the flattened portion opposite the pivot or fulcrum stud 51 against the outer end wall of said opening 43 with sufficient pressure to force the retainer ears 44 fully into their receiving pockets 32 and to crowd the retainer stud 42 of said connector into alinement with the outer hole 29 in said reinforcing strip, whereupon the retainer stud will snap into said hole and assurance will be had that the connector will lie in firm contact with the outer surface of the reinforcing strip throughout the length is shown ,in contact with the outer .end wall of the intermediate opening after said con nector .has'been moved into gfully ,locked position,and the tool may then be withdrawn from 7 said. opening. If desired, the fulcrum opening .45 may be extended through the band ZLproper, as shown in Fig. 3.

lVVhen usingihe'stud end of the-tool for the;purpose of fastening-the detachable con nector in place,theangular portion 48 ,will serve as a handle for conveniently rotating said tool.

v hen it;is desired-to detach the connector fromlthe b-and, the flattened'end 2L9 ofthe tool is thrust through the notch 34 0f the flange igoaatlthe outer end ofthe reinforcing strip and underneath the catch lip formed by thebead-or extension 40. Then so used, the shanlr'r" of the tool serves-as a handle and it issimply necessaryto swing the handle outwardly, with the result that the inner-wall of the notch Flat-twill serve a fulcrum ,point for the tool. Outward movement of the handle will therefore depressthat part of the angular portion of the-tool extending outwardly from said ful crum'point and-,exertan upward pressure of that portion extending through the notch 3a of the band, with the-resultthat the retainerstud 42lwillbecome disengaged from its receivingopening29 in the reinforcing member,-after which'inwardpressure onthe detachable connector will cause the retainer ears l l to move out'of-their receiving pock ets, thereby causing complete disconnection of the detachable connector from the band.

It has, however, been found in practice that by drawing outwardly on the shank of the tool when the tool is positioned as shown in dotted'lines in Fig. 3, and at the same time swinging the tool laterally, the retainer stud 42 will be disengaged fromits receiv ing opening 29, and at the same time,.the movement of the tool causing separation of the outer end of the connector and the outer end of the band is associated with a component movement tendingto force the connector inwardly so that pressure independent of that exerted by the tool is not required to establish a complete disconnection of the detachable connector f om the band.

I do not consider it necessary in all cases to provide the band witha reinforcing strip, as the pockets 32 formed in said-retainer strip may be directly formed on the'band, as clearly shown in my co-pending application filed February 17, 1925, Serial No. 9778, and in such cases the fulcrum opening 45 and the hole 29 adapted to receive the retainer stud 42, may be formed 'directly in'the band. However, in such cases it is foundnecessary to construct'the band of somewhat-heavier gage material, since it has;been found that the .formationlof the poeketstinlhe bandain dd i to th or na'o opening the ein weakens ,the band, a oh wilheventually relilti e band-b e LlQIl Y thB- E giQ -R Whi h :th untenable v sa ineeto s sh w fastened.

By providing a 'ireinforcingstrip at the out-erend ofvthebandlwhere the detachable member ,is ;fastened thereto, the regulation thickness of imateri-al found to, possess the required flexibility for most eflic ientgservice maybe i used. At the same time, the band is stiffened or reinforced-ton degrembelieved necessary to provide aproperbase or foundation for a detachable connector, ,so that the connector, when secured"1n place, will be as securely fastened astharigid connectorat the opposite end of the band This is a decided advantage over the detachable connectors now in use,al 1 of which havemore or less freedom of action (or play, resulting in 3 noise and imperfectoperation. gHowever, where in r the claims vreference-is :made to 1 the band, without specifically K setting outta stiff ening orreinforcing element for the band, it

is understood to mean a band with or ,without a,reinfor-cingelement.

7 -Having thus described 1 my. invention, what Iclaim is: Y v

1. A transmission or brake-band, v comprising-an open ring band, a lining for said band, a short reinforcing-strip fastenedrto the outer surface of .saidsband atone end her wherebyca st f nd port s provided while otherwise .retaining the fiexibility of-=-theband and the true circularv contour ofsaidtlining, said reinforcing strip having openings therethrough, l rivets passed through said openings and through said band and lining for fastening the lining to said band, and a detachable connector secured 'to said reinforcing strip.

2. A transmission or, brakeband, comprising an open ring band, 1 a lining for said;

band, a reinforcing: strip, applied the outer side of said :bandat one end thereof whereby a stiffened end portion is provided while otherwise retaining the flexibility of said band and the true circular contour of said lining, said rein;forcing' strip having .a-re

t ainer hole. neargits outcr -end, a detachable v UGH JHEBIE L 

